Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-07-28

in Senate and House, to labor and vote
for the immediate and unconditional
repeal Ofthat law. When the Demo-
cratic party was voted into power the
public mind was full of doubt and mis-
givings rs 10 the immediate future Of
the country. Under the teachings of
the Republican party many people be-
lieyed that II the Democratic party got
into power the col0red people in the
South would again be ensIaved, and to
eolored people In the North the right Of
citizenship would be denied. The
Democrats. when in power. said Re
publican leaders ever where, viii repu-
diate the public debt incurred in sup
pressing the rebellion, pay the rebels
all losses they sustained by the war,
pension all confederate soldiers and re-
fuse pensions to the soldiers who fought
for the union. Il were assertions and
predictions like these that withheld
many vote from Cleveland aud Hend-
ricks. Two and half years of Demo-
cratic rule proves all of these assertions
and predictions to be false, and shows TO
the people that every interest they have
has the watchful attention and vigilant
care of the party their votes put into
power. The emaneipated' slaves are
still free. and so, too, are all of their
descendants, and the two races, white
and colored, are still equals in law. No
rebel war claim has been paid and no
confederate soldier has been pensioned.
Have the Democrats repudiated the
public debt? Promptly has every dol
lar of the interest been paid out at the
unprecedented rate of nearly $40, ,000, 900
month; for over two years has the
principal been reduced and the interest
thereon been saved to thepeopIe. The
Democratic party repudiate the public
debt; why, juding from present appear
ances large proportion of what We
owe, but not due for four and twenty
years, will soon be paid, and if the peO-
pie give US another four years lease of
power it is among the probabilities that
the last dollar of the public debt will be
paid before the end of another Presi-
Dental term. Since our party has been
in control of the government the pen
sion of no union soldier has heen stop
ped, but, on the contrary, may have
been increased, and all have been
promptly paid. The pensions of sold
iers' widows our party increased from
So to $12 per month and the pensions of
armless and legness we have increased
Sc per month. Our party has put on
pension rolls over Al 900 new pensions
and granted pensions to the soldiers, or
their widows, of the Mexican war. The
largest sum appropriated by Republican
Congress for the payment of pensions is
500, ,0f2, ,573, while at the late session
of congress the appropriations for pen
sions amounted to $79, ,252, 900. Respect
ing private pension bills the records of
the pension Office shows that President
Grant in eight years approved 4S5 of
these bills; Hayes in four years approv-
ed S03; Garfield and Arthur in four
years approved 1856, while President
Cleveland in two years approved 1863
and if his approval of such bills con-
tinues at this rate for two years to
come, at the end of his four years. term
more union soldiers will be indebted to
him for their pensions than to Grant,
Hayes, Garfield and Arthur in sixteen
years of their rule. When the dema-
gogues and the unprincipled in the Re
publican party defame President Cleve-
land for vetoing bills pensioning Union
soldiers, they forget that Grant vetoed
a bill to equalize the bounties paid to
Union soldiers-and they forget also
that John Sherman, in June, 1884,
spoke in the Senate against re-enacting
the arrears pension law.
1t is time that the people understood
better, perhaps, than. they do, the re-
cord of the two parties about provisions
ing soldiers but now is not the time,
nor is this the place for further dis
cussion of that subject. Surely there is
no Democrat who hears me that will
soon, If ever, forget the methods en-
ployed by the Republican party in 1884
to array against the Democratic party
the vote of the commercially business
and industrial interests of the country.
In all Republican newspapers, from
every Republican stump, the people
were told that if they put the Demo-
cratic party into power public. conf
dence would weaken and moneyed
enterprises stand still. Capital, they
told us, would refuse to invest, labor
would be unemployed, factory after
factory would shut down and all busi-
ness be paralyzed. Well we, at this
time, view the situation from that
highest of all lstandpoints-thec country's
good. We are at peace with ourselves
and at peace with the rest Of the world.
The public credit never was higher and
at no time in the past has money been
cheaper or more abundant. All of our
industries are prosperous. New fields
for labor and capital have been opened
and fho;r da1TalopmontL 10 w0rb M
wonders in the industrial world. The
harvests are large, labor is fairly re-
warded and thrift attends upon the
exertions of the tradesmen and all en-
gagged in business pursuits. The Demo-
cratic part promised the people good
government and this promise, it has
kept. Mindful of their interests it has
restored to the public domain many
millions of acres which the Republican
party while in power gave to railroad
companies whose only existence was on
paper. 1t has put stop to the acquisi-
tion by England's lords and dukes OF
large landed estates in our territories.
1t has defeated scheme after scheme fol
plundering the public treasury of its
surplus revenues. It has opposed, sue
eessfully, all measures for increasing
the number of federal office-holders OF
to increase the salaries of those now
engaged In the public service. The pro
duct of our silver and gold mountain:
and valleys has the fostering care of Oul
party and our storehouses filled to over
flowing with treasures speaks of thu
wealth and power and resources of oul
government. But there is more goo(
To he done IL hut a nnesti0n of time